Coronavirus digest: Germany sees new spike in cases
October 7, 2020
Germany has seen the highest number of new daily coronavirus cases since April as Berlin introduces an effective curfew. Meanwhile, Brussels has closed cafes and bars. All the latest from DW here.
Image: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance
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Germany set a new post-peak record for new daily coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with 2,828 new cases. The number of people requiring treatment in intensive care and on ventilators also increased.
In late March and early April, Germany was counting more than 6,000 new cases per day before they decreased. However, numbers began to slowly rise again since July. Lockdown rules have been gradually lifted since May, but the capital of Berlin announced a partial curfew on Tuesday.
As a result of rising cases, German state officials have agreed to ban travelers from high-risk areas from staying in hotels unless they can show a negative test, however, four states including Thuringia, Bremen, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin have cast doubts on the ban.
This would stop residents of Berlin from taking a domestic holiday during the upcoming school holidays unless they test negative.
"The Federal and State governments call on all citizens to avoid all non-essential travel into or out of regions where there have been 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the past seven days," ministers said in a joint statement.
Coronavirus surges in Berlin
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Asia and Oceania
Sri Lanka has banned all public gatherings as cases spiked in the Indian Ocean nation. More than 800 infections have been linked to a garment factory, and more than 1,000 people have been ordered to quarantine. The cluster of cases emerged on Monday, one day after the country reported its first community infection in two months.
South Korea reported 114 new cases, its first daily jump of over 100 cases in one week. Health officials have warned that infections will likely rise due to the increased travel during the Chuseok harvest holiday, which ended over the weekend. More than 90 of the new cases were in the capital, Seoul, which has seen a resurgence since Mid-August.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it will take years for Mexico's economy to recover from the pandemic. The IMF said the country will see its economy shrink by 9% in 2020, a slight improvement from an earlier projection of a 10.5% fall. It forecast that the economy will grow by 3.5% in 2021 and about 2% thereafter. "Based on these projections, employment, income and poverty will take several years to return to pre-pandemic levels," read an IMF report.
US President Donald Trump, while still being treated for the virus, abruptly ended talks with Democrats on an economic aid package for Americans reeling from the pandemic instead saying he would present a plan after being reelected. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden voiced his criticism, tweeting, "The president turned his back on you."
American public broadcaster PBS revealed that medical supply chains failed in the country, which led to more deaths from the coronavirus. The investigation by the Associated Press and PBS program "Frontline" showed link after link between raw materials and overseas manufacturers fell apart. The investigation showed politicians and major companies ignored warnings about the country's overdependence on foreign manufacturing and a lack of adequate preparation at home.
Europe
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Italian-born Filippo Grandi, said he has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and will quarantine from home.
The Netherlands reported 5,000 new cases within 24 hours on Wednesday, while Denmark announced restrictions on public life would be continued until October 31 at least.
Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa said there were some important differences between the first and second waves of infections in his country. He said the death rate during the first wave was about 12%. That rate had fallen to 1% in the second wave. Also, authorities believe that they could only detect about 10% of coronavirus cases during the first round. That number is now estimated to be between 70-80%. Nearly 4.8 million people in and around the capital Madrid are under restrictions of movement due to the second wave.
Brussels will close its bars and cafes for one month starting on Thursday in a bid to contain coronavirus numbers and infections and avoid putting pressure on hospitals in the region. Restaurants can stay open until 11 p.m., but people can only enter them in groups of up to four, as per new national rules.
Trump's COVID-19 outbreak: Who got infected?
Donald Trump's coronavirus infection has been followed by a chain of cases spanning the White House, Congress and his presidential reelection campaign. Many were infected after attending a White House event.
Image: The White House via Reuters
Adviser Hope Hicks
A former White House staffer, Hope Hicks had returned recently to help Trump prepare for the first presidential debate against Joe Biden. She was the first person in his surroundings to test positive for COVID-19, just hours before the president confirmed his infection.
Image: Kevin Dietsch/UPI Photo/Newscom/picture-alliance
First lady Melania Trump
Given her proximity to Trump, it was no surprise that first lady of the US also tested positive for coronavirus following Trump's infection. She received medical assistance at the White House and did not require hospitalization at Walter Reed Medical Center.
Image: Andrea Hanks/White House/ZUMA Wire/ZUMAPRESS/picture-alliance
Personal assistant Nicholas Luna
Nicholas Luna tested positive for COVID-19 soon after Trump did. As personal assistant, his job is to accompany Trump day and night. His job puts him in as close proximity to the president as the first lady.
Image: Andrew Harnik/AP/picture-alliance
Campaign manager Bill Stepien
Trump's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, also tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day the president did. His diagnosis dealt a blow to a campaign he had just recently begun to head, after the departure of embattled former campaign manager Brad Parscale.
Image: Amy Newman/The Record of Bergen County/AP/dpa/picture-alliance
RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel tested positive for coronavirus soon after the president and went into quarantine at her home in Michigan. Like Bill Stepien, she plays a key role in Trump's campaign and was in close contact with him in recent weeks.
Adviser Kellyanne Conway tested positive for the virus on the same day as Trump. Although she officially left the White House weeks earlier — citing the need to spend more time with her family — she attended Trump's White House ceremony to announce Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court.
Image: Andrew Harnik/AP/File/picture-alliance
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that he would check himself into a hospital because of a COVID-19 infection the day after Trump's positive test. Christie had attended an event at the White House for Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett, where he was seen without a mask and not socially distancing.
Image: Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/AP/picture-alliances
Republican Senator Ron Johnson
Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson said he tested positive for COVID one day after Trump's positive test. A close ally of the president, Johnson was also at the event for Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Image: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/picture-alliance
Republican Senator Thom Tillis
North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he tested positive for coronavirus a day after the president did. He, too, had attended the White House event for Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Tillis, who is facing reelection this year, is a member of the Justice Committee that would process the nomination.
Image: Chris Carlson/AP/picture-alliance
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she tested positive for COVID-19 three days after the president's positive test. She indicated that she experienced no symptoms and said she would quarantine while continuing to work from home. She gave her last appearance to reporters, without a mask, hours before her positive test results came back.
Image: Alex Brandon/AP/picture-alliance
Republican Senator Mike Lee
Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee said he tested positive for coronavirus on the same day as Trump. He was also one of several people who attended the White House event for Trump's Supreme Court justice nominee. Tillis, a staunch Trump ally, is also a member of the Justice Committee that would process the nomination.
Image: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Wire/picture-alliance
Senior adviser Stephen Miller
Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Trump and one of his inner circle, announced he'd tested positive for COVID-19 four days after the president. In a statement, he said he'd been self-isolating and testing negative until that point. The White House said Miller is "doing well" and quarantining.
Image: Patrick Semansky/AP Images/picture-alliance
